Jhonny Peralta

The Cardinals turned to the veteran Peralta to fix their most glaring issue from the 2013 season, and he delivered as much if not more than they could have expected. Peralta proved to be one of the to...

Peralta provided the Cardinals all the offense they would need in the 3-1 win over Los Angeles on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and knocking in the third run on an eighth-inning single.

Peralta’s 2013 campaign will always be remembered as the year he was slapped with a 50-game suspension, but lost in the off-field drama is the fact Peralta was well on his way to putting together one of the best seasons of his career. In his 107 appearances for the Tigers, Peralta hit a career-high .303 and posted the second-best OPS (.815) of his career. He also chipped in 11 home runs, 30 doubles, 55 RBI and 50 runs. All in all, Peralta bounced back nicely from a dreadful 2012 campaign. But there are some red flags about Peralta’s improvements at the plate. His .377 BABIP was easily a career-high and a rate he’s unlikely to approach again in 2014. Peralta’s plate discipline also remained an issue, as he finished with a 0.36 BB/K ratio and 21.9 percent strikeout rate. The Cardinals signed Peralta to a four-year deal in November to become their everyday shortstop, erasing concerns about a position change for at least a couple of seasons. Expect some regression in 2013, but Peralta should be able to avoid the lackluster production he posted in 2012 even with the league change, thanks in part to having another strong lineup around him to help secure his counting stats.

2013

After putting together one of the best campaigns of his career in 2011, Peralta took a huge step back last year. The 30-year-old shortstop hit just .239/.305/.384 in 531 at-bats. His contact rate (80 percent) and walk rate (eight percent) hovered right around his career marks, but Peralta didn't have any luck finding holes in the defense as his .276 BABIP was the lowest of his career. Peralta's power also took a significant dip, as he hit just 13 homers after smashing 21 the previous season. The drop in homers can be attributed to Peralta posting a HR/FB ratio under 10 percent (8.3%) for just the second time in the past five seasons. The Tigers have contemplated making moves to improve their infield defense, which could eventually lead to the team bringing in a shortstop with better range. In that scenario, Peralta would likely be traded, but he should end up with a full-time gig as a shortstop or third baseman if moved. While a bounce back to his 2011 form should not be expected, Peralta is still considered to be in his power prime and corrections in his BABIP and HR/FB ratio should make for a better season than he had in 2012.

2012

After back-to-back down years, Peralta bounced back to put together arguably the best season of his career in 2011. The Tigers shortstop hit a career-high .299 with 21 homers and 86 RBI in 525 at-bats. The bump in batting average was largely due to improved plate discipline, as Peralta whiffed in just 16.5 percent of his plate appearances, which is a significant improvement over his 20.6 percent career rate. His move back to an everyday role at shortstop was also a success, as Peralta posted a whopping 9.9 UZR. Despite his vastly improved defense, there have been rumblings Peralta could slide back over to third base if Detroit adds a shortstop prior to spring training. He remains at shortstop for now, though, and will be a solid option again as one of the better second-tier players at the position in the American League.

2011

Peralta started the 2010 season slowly in Cleveland, but he had a mild resurgence after being traded to Detroit in late July. In 57 games with Detroit, Peralta hit .253 with eight homers and 38 RBI. At that pace, Peralta would have finished with about 20-25 homers and 100 RBI in a full 162-game season with Detroit. The Tigers liked what they saw out of Peralta enough to ink him to a two-year deal this offseason and hand him the full-time gig at shortstop. Peralta will likely slot in behind stars like Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Magglio Ordonez in the Tigers' lineup, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Given the comfort level he showed with his new squad last season and the expected cushy spot in the batting order, Peralta could be in line to return to the type of power production we saw from him during his best years with the Indians.

2010

It was a disappointing season for Peralta, who hit just 11 homers after topping 20 in each of the previous two seasons. He did manage to drive in 83 runs, but scored just 54 after scoring 104 in 2008. He's been moved to third base on a permanent basis, although he did get in enough games at shortstop to qualify for one more season there in most formats. He'll be back hitting in the middle of the order as the team's everyday third baseman.

2009

Peralta set a career-high in RBI (89) and topped the 20-homer mark for the third time in four years last season after taking over the cleanup spot when injuries to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez hit the team. His defense has always been a concern and he's destined for third base at some point in the near future. Whether or not he finds himself over there this season will depend on the Indians' offseason. He's among the elite at what has become thinning ranks at shortstop in the AL, but Peralta should still hit enough if he's moved over to third.

2008

Peralta rebounded from a disappointing 2006 with a very roto-friendly .270/21/72 season. There is talk of moving him to third base and handing the shortstop duties to Asdrubal Cabrera but that's probably a year away if it ever happens. Like the majority of his teammates, he cooled off considerably in the second half of the season, hitting just seven homers and slugging .387 after the All-Star break. He'll turn 26 in May, so there should be plenty of solid seasons ahead of him, but realize that he doesn't offer any speed out of the shortstop position, though he should give you plus-power as long as he remains shortstop eligible.

2007

No one saw this coming. Peralta's numbers were down across the board last year and there was no viable explaination why. He played in 149 games and was at the plate more than 600 times, but did nothing with the opportunity. Was 2005 an aberration? Or will the 24-year old rebound? The age is there and he'll be given every opportunity to prove he's come out of it, so grab Peralta cheap if you can. There will be a lot of folks who'll pass on the multi-talented shortstop, but his upside is too good to ignore. Upside will be a repeat of 2005, while downside is that Peralta is a lot better than replacement level, anyway.

2006

Peralta was put into the shortstop position to sink or swim in 2005 when the Indians let Omar Vizquel leave for San Francisco. He swam, hitting .292 with 63 extra-base hits and finishing first among major league shortstops with a .520 slugging percentage. He's not Vizquel in the field or running the bases, but his range is above average and his 19 errors is just fine. Continued growth could place him among the elite fantasy options at shortstop.

2005

The shortstop prospect and 2004 Topps/International League Player of the Year has had a couple auditions with the big league club already and not fared well. In 2003 he played more than 70 games with the Indians hitting a measly .227 and was brought up for several games in September 2004. He's bound to get another shot this spring, competing with Brandon Phillips now that Omar Vizquel is gone and will try to turn his Triple-A success into a starting job at short for the Indians.

2004

Peralta adopted an offseason weight training program, with Jody Gerut, and will look to add more pop to his bat. He's still young (21) and has potential. With the acquisition of Carlos Guillen, Peralta might still see some playing time at shortstop when Guillen plays third, and otherwise will compete with Brandon Phillips for playing time.